The mood soured quickly this weekend for the UCLA baseball team,
as a strong start to the Pac-10 season was wiped away by defensive
miscues and a shaky bullpen against Cal. The Bears inflicted one
devastating loss after another, leaving the team frustrated and
disappointed.
“Obviously, it’s not the greatest feeling.
Everything went the wrong way for us,” Ryan McCarthy
said.
By winning the first game 10-2, the Bruins improved to 17-16,
3-1 in conference play and clubhouse spirits were high. Senior Doug
Silva relieved starter Mike Kunes in the top of the fourth inning
and continued his brilliant work out of the bullpen, pitching 5.1
innings without giving up a run while striking out a career-high
eight batters.
Offensively, UCLA featured a balanced attack, and the lineup put
17 men on base. The Bruins were led by five RBI from Matt Thayer,
as well as a two-run home run from Wes Whisler.
In the second game of the series, the power surge continued for
UCLA. Preston Griffin hit a leadoff home run in the bottom of the
first inning, and Thayer continued his torrid weekend by hitting a
grand slam home run in the bottom of the third. Whisler pitched a
solid game, allowing only two runs in 5.2 innings.
But whatever momentum UCLA had was quickly wiped away in one
forgettable inning. Up 6-4 in the ninth, senior Chris Cordeiro gave
up a single to Cal’s Matt Einspahr, and the game quickly got
out of hand for the Bruins. It appeared that UCLA would do
everything it could in snatching defeat from the jaws of
victory.
An error, a wild pitch, and a passed ball would culminate in a
bases clearing double from James Holder as the Bears put four runs
on the board. Stunned, the Bruins were unable mount a comeback in
the face of their complete meltdown, and the team fell to Cal
8-6.
“It’s extremely frustrating, but that’s the
way it goes sometimes. You just have to try and stay
positive,” Brett McMillan said.
In the rubber match of the series, the Bruins were hoping to
bounce back after such a deflating loss. Trailing 2-0 going into
the bottom of the second inning, the Bruins suddenly exploded for
nine runs. The rally featured a three-run home run from McMillan
and a grand slam from McCarthy. The ghosts of that ugly ninth
inning had apparently been exorcised.
Or so it seemed. Cal brought in Mike Padgett, and the tall left
hander put the Bruins off balance. His off-speed pitches gave UCLA
fits, and the Bruins would not score another run for the remainder
of the game. The Bears, meanwhile, chipped away at the lead,
scoring once in the third, four times in the fifth and sixth, and
added an insurance run in the seventh inning.
“We needed someone to come out of that bullpen and stop
them. Unfortunately we compounded the problem by walking four guys
in a row,” head coach Gary Adams said.
UCLA is now even at 3-3 in conference play and 17-18 overall.
The team will host Long Beach State this Tuesday in a
non-conference game.